Editor's note: Barry Alvarez will retire as the Wisconsin athletic director June 30. The State Journal asked some of those who have worked closely with him during his 31 years at the university as football coach and AD to share their thoughts about their time working together. This is part three in the eight-part series.
Though he wasn’t Joe Thomas’ coach for his entire playing career at the University of Wisconsin, Barry Alvarez’s impact on him and his home state’s football program stick with Thomas.
Thomas, now a rising star in the NFL media and successful entrepreneur, was once a blocking tight end for the Badgers in the twilight of Alvarez’s coaching career.